Shattered Glass
by jaybirdsfree
Summary: You asked for it! The sequel to The Privacy Problem. After six brutal months of loneliness,Hermione and Ron are finally reunited. And everything is going great until someone sees and says something that they shouldn't have.
1. Chapter 1: Guess Whose Back?

Guess whose back? Yours truly with *drum roll please* Part II of The Privacy Problem! And before I start I want to say thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much for being patient, being the best darn reviewers/ readers in the entire world, and for making The Privacy Problem my pride and joy. You've motivated me and made me feel like I wasn't a cheesy cliché writer with too much time on her hands and not enough talent. **I appreciate you guys more than imaginable**, believe me. Thank you soooo much. Seriously, **I love you guys** (not in a creepy way). You awesome-sauce people, you! Anyway Keep Calm and Read on. Did that seem tacky? What-evs.

And Voila:

Chapter 1: Guess Whose Back?

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><p>Red. The sky was a mixture of red, orange, with a hint of purple. It was a beautiful sunset, and it looked even better illuminating Ron's red hair. We stood on the lake's dock, waiting for the rest of Ron's co-workers to arrive in time for the portkey.<p>

I held Ron's hand as tight as humanly possible, not quite ready to watch him leave. And judging by the light tremble and clamminess of his hand he was also pretty nervous.

"The next month is going to be hell for me", I muttered as I looked out at the calm flow of the lake.

"I'll only be gone for three weeks, it won't be that bad", Ron replied squinting at the fish swimming in the gentle waves.

Tears threatened to fall down my face. I really was going to miss him. A lot. I miss him already and he hasn't even left.

"Are you crying", he asked looking down at me. And of course that's when the bloody tears fall.

"Yes", I replied quietly, looking in a different direction. But it was too late. He'd already spotted the tears flowing down my cheek, running past my sunglasses, which I thought would conceal them if I did cry. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged his waist as tight as I could.

"I'm going to miss you so much", I told him in a choked sob.

"I'll miss you too. This is going to be my hardest task yet", Ron said. He pressed his chin on top of my head and held me tighter (which I didn't think was possible).

I pulled away and wiped away my tears. I felt guilty and embarrassed for crying in front of him and the twenty aurors' who'd shown up only moments ago. But my tears weren't anything compared to Ginny. She was weeping hysterically as she held Harry like her life depended on it. Pregnancy hormones getting the best of her, probably.

Ron pulled up my sunglasses. Now I was positive he'd see how tear streaked my face was. I'd been crying all morning. My fiancé was leaving for his Final Task for the next couple of weeks, of course I was going to cry. I just didn't want Ron to see me cry. I didn't want him to feel bad about leaving like Ginny had done with Harry.

I looked in every direction but his. I don't think I can bear seeing those crystal blue irises without completely breaking down. But his hand was tilting my chin up, and the warmth and gentleness of his hand forced my eyes to look into his.

I bit my lip and looked down again and wiped away the next batch of tears flowing down my cheeks.

"It's not that bad. These next couple of weeks will fly by. I promise", Ron said. But he couldn't promise that. I'd done two weeks worth of research, and I discovered that the longest Final Task had lasted up to a year. And with my luck this Final Task will be even longer. And an average of 37% of aurors-in-training have died during the Final Task.

"I love you, Ron", I said to him. Because this will be the last time I'll get to say it to him in person for the next three weeks or possibly a year.

"I love you, too", he replied. I looked around. The number of aurors showing up for the Final Task had tripled. And the Head Auror was there with a floor lamp in his hands approaching the base of the dock.

"Can I get a kiss before I leave", Ron asked anxiously.

I didn't answer. I just brought his head down to mine and pressed his lips onto mine, like I'd never see him again.

"A MINUTE 'TIL ROLL CALL AND FOUR MINUTES 'TIL TAKEOFF!", the Head Auror yelled over the loud cries and conversations between the other aurors'.

Ron broke the kiss and looked over at the portkey and his boss and then back at me.

"I love you", Ron said again. And began to run over to the portkey that was now surrounded by aurors'. He stopped in his racks, ran back to me and kissed me again.

"I love you, too", I replied loudly. He kissed me one more time before running to the crowd around the portkey.

I looked over at Harry and Ginny. Ginny smothered Harry with hugs and kisses, refusing to actually let him go.

I walked over to the couple and grabbed Ginny's shoulder lightly.

"Let him go, Ginny. They're about to start roll call", I yelled to her over the loud conversations going on behind us.

"They can wait", Ginny yelled back.

"They can, but they won't. Ginny, let him go. You'll see him again", I told her.

Harry mouthed a 'thank you' and kissed her briefly before running to the crowd of aurors.

Ginny burst into a sob and sat down on the bench Harry had just escaped from. I sat down next to her and placed my arm around my shoulder, telling her it would be okay and that it was only going to be three weeks. Just three weeks. But it's hard to cheer someone else up when tears are coming down your own face. I looked up at the crowd of aurors' and tried to spot Ron, but they'd left too quickly. And pretty soon there was nothing but a flash of light. And then-

Blackness?

I sat up and opened my eyes to find my red walls and dark wooded floors. I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding. My room. Our room. Ron and my room.

I collapsed back onto the bed and closed my eyes with no intention of going back to sleep.

It was the sixth time I'd had that dream all week, and today was only Tuesday! It's probably because those 'three weeks' of Ron's final task have escalated to its sixth week. I knew he was fine though because of all of the letters he has sent me. But I still missed him. His voice, his touch, his hair, his eyes, his lips, I missed _him_. I opened my eyes and turned so that I was facing his side of the bed. My left arm extended out and moved in circular motions where his torso would've been. I stared at the engagement ring he'd given me two months ago when he proposed. It was an elegant diamond ring. I was _extremely _anxious for the wedding ring to go above it. But even more anxious for him to come home.

The was a knock on my door, which I was positive was Ginny. I tossed back my covers and got out of bed and opened the door to let her in.

She was gnawing on a strawberry licorice stick looking into space.

"Good morning, Ginny", I said, pulling her back into reality.

"Hermione! Guess what, I've got some fantastic news! Harry told me that they might be leaving soon", Ginny exclaimed. Her eyes were sparkling, and her face just beamed with enthusiasm. But I wasn't thrilled at all. Ginny reports that our boys- our men- will be back 'soon' every week. But I wasn't about to burst her bubble. She's been looking forward to them coming back, we both have. But I think she's a bit more anxious than I am considering she's five months pregnant.

"How soon", I asked, trying to make it seem like I was just as thrilled as she was.

She walked into the house. I shut the door went into the kitchen and started to make each of us breakfast, tea and toast.

"Harry says the head Auror has been hinting that they'll return in about a week", Ginny said happily. She almost reminded me of a five year old on Christmas Eve.

"That's fantastic! Did you tell him you discovered the gender of the baby?", I asked.

"No, not yet. You know he was really looking forward to being there with me when I found out", Ginny said, "I don't think he'll be too upset though. Especially being that it's a boy. Besides, it's not like he's lugging a baby around in his stomach."

I laughed, "Well I think he'll be too happy about being back and seeing you to worry about you finding out whether the baby was a boy or a girl."

"So what about you? Have you made any arrangements for the wedding that you haven't told Ron about", Ginny asked.

"Well I have begun to save money on the dress that I've been wanting. And I've been debating on whether to have the wedding at the Burrow or a church."

"Ugh! Please don't have it at the Burrow", Ginny replied disgustedly. I poured a cup of tea for her and set it in front of her.

"Why not?", I asked, partially offended.

"Because it wouldn't make it _Ron and Hermione's wedding. _It would be _Bill and Fleur's wedding. _You don't want to make it _Bill and Fleur's wedding Part Two. _Besides the Burrow doesn't read Ron and Hermione, it's more of a sanctuary for everyone. And definitely not a church, they make Dad and Ron feel uncomfortable. Too formal and traditional for their taste, I suppose", she paused to take a sip of her tea, "You see a wedding is an event that proclaims your love, a promise. A promise that you'll love this person and never stop, and I mean ever. But when you dig deeper into the meaning it's also supposed to symbolize unity. And the question is what makes the two of you. . . click? Not what makes you Ron and Hermione but what makes you _THE Ron and Hermione_. What do you symbolize? Or better yet what does your love symbolize?" She takes another sip of tea and a bite of the toast I just handed her on a napkin.

_Crunch. _"Now I'm thinking-" _Crunch. _"That the two of you symbolize. . .taking a bludger to the chest as you try to catch it. Expected but not expected." _Cough! Crunch. Crunch. _

"What do you mean expected but not expected?", I asked her curiously. I didn't know whether or not to take her statement as offensive or blatantly honest.

"I mean we all _expected _the two of you to fall in love and start popping out ginger geniuses', but we _didn't expect _the extra stuff." _Slurrrrp! Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

"What extra stuff?"

"Like how no one expected you to _not_ be celibate. No one expected Ron to propose to you so. . .spectacularly. No one expected your no-boundary love. The two of you just scream spontaneous, not rebelliously but emotionally. Emotionally spontaneous. That's what you are. Or perhaps rebelliously spontaneous."

"I'm not following", I replied taking a bite of my own toast.

"You don't exactly follow the rules of romance. You've created your own special category in the category of love."

I was starting to understand Ginny's theory on our romance. We didn't exactly follow _Couple Etiquette. _For instance we didn't get together when everyone expected us to (the unexpected), however we did fall in love when they expected us to (expected). Or our first kiss, completely spontaneous. We didn't share our first kiss at Hogwarts all romantic and planned (but not exactly planned) like Harry and Cho did, we shared our first kiss in a war. No one would've ever expected Ron to propose to me so romantically, and no one would've ever expected for Ron and I to expose our vulnerability to each other. And no one would've guessed that by us being vulnerable together for a short moment would've made us stronger. And no one needed or needs to understand us. No one needs to determine what is expected or not expected. That's between Ron and I.

Ginny was absolutely right, Ron and I are infinite and special in our own way (which sounds cheesy, but it's true).

There was a knock on the door for the second time that morning. It was probably Bill asking me to prepare a meal for Fleur because her ankles are swollen again and Mrs. Weasley refused to cook. I sighed got up in opened my door.

It was a red headed, freckly, Weasley standing at my doorstep. But it was _my _Weasley. It was Ron. Standing at the door looking exhausted and rugged. With a rugged and exhausted Harry standing behind him looking worried. Ron dropped his luggage at the door. And I stopped breathing.

I reached out my hand to make sure I wasn't going crazy, to make sure it was actually Ron. I felt the damp wool uniform they had to use at the Final Task. It was actually him. Real. Completely authentic.

"Are you alright? You're turning blue", Ron said standing there at the doorway. His voice. It was like his voice was caressing my sense of hearing. I let out the breath I had been holding and screamed, making Harry jump and a porcelain teacup clank against the table. I wrapped my arms around Ron so tight that he was probably the one turning blue now. Ginny ran, well jogged, into the room.

"What is it Hermione?", she asked. And then she saw Ron, and then she saw Harry. And then Ginny let out an excited screech. She covered her mouth with her hand and tackled Harry into a bear hug.

"What are you doing here?", Ginny asked him between kisses. So it went more like: 'What.' _Smooch! _'Are'. _Smooch! _'You'. _Smooch. _'Doing.' _Smooch! _'Here?" _Smooch!_.

I don't know how she expected him to answer with all the enthusiastic kisses she was planting on various parts of his face. But he didn't seem too focused on replying because he was too occupied trying to catch her lips with his own.

I turned to Ron and couldn't say much. I could only hug him. Or hold him rather. Tears were rolling off of my cheek onto his uniform. And he returned the hug- hold?- with as much power as I did. I inhaled his scent. Even though he was covered with layers of sweat and grime, I could still detect the warm cinnamon apple smell that only he could pull of as masculine. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the gentle spring breeze sweep over my face.

"I missed you so much", I whispered to him. I was surprised I was even capable of whispering. My throat was practically clogged with emotions. My heart was thumping and racing at the same time.

"I missed you too", he whispered back. More tears came down as I felt his cool breath hit my ear. I was shaking lightly from excitement and shock. Ginny and Harry had already broken their embrace and were discussing the size of Ginny's stomach.

"It's huge", Harry said rubbing his hand over her stomach.

"It's ours", Ginny replied in that girly, playful voice she always uses when they're being romantic.

"It's huge", Harry replied, clearly at a lost for words.

"Is that a problem", Ginny asked, _clearly _getting a little upset at him for breaking their romantic moment.

"N-no, of course not. It's- it's just so weird. It's just amazing. It's beautiful", Harry said, his voice started to crack and become weak mid-sentence. Ginny smiled and pretty soon tears were falling down her eyes, too.

I snaked my hand around my own waist and found Ron's hand. I entangled my fingers in his and squeezed lightly. I finally let go of him and led him to our bedroom without saying a word to anyone.

Six weeks, 46 consecutive days, and 1,104 hours without my best friend, my first love, my only romantic love, and my souls mate. And the first thing I had planned to do when he got back was throw a _Welcome Home _party for him and Harry. It was going to be a surprise. But he was the one who surprised me. And now my only plans were to lie in bed next to him. For him to hold me as much as humanly possible.

I sat down on the un-made bed and he sat down next to me.

"I was supposed to be throwing you a surprise party so that you didn't come home to a messy house, a messy fiancé, and an empty fridge. And you've been fighting all this time, you're exhausted. I know that the last thing you want to come home to is a dirty environment. I've just gotten so lazy. I'm sorry, if I knew you were coming back- I- Ron I missed you so much", was all I could really say. That's all that I'd really had on my mind.

"I don't care about how messy you think the house is. I don't much care about a party. All I care about is finally seeing you again. And I missed you a lot too. More than you can even imagine. And I'm exhausted, and I'm filthy, and I just want to spend today in bed and just be next to you. That's all I want."

Tears fell from my eyes again. Not because I was sad or happy, I just felt like this wasn't real. Like I was living in a dream.

"Go get yourself cleaned up. And by the time you come out there'll be a huge breakfast for you out here. And we can just lie in bed together all day long. I promise", I say to him. I bite my bottom lip gently and observe him. He did look very dirty. His uniform that was originally supposed to be black and white was now a yellowish grey and dirt stained black pants. His hair looked like it hadn't been washed in months- it hadn't been washed in months. His face was dirty too. He looked the same way he did when we'd gotten back from the war, just a little less dirty.

"Sounds good", was Ron's reply before he got up and went to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I'd finished cooking him a full blown breakfast that contained eggs, bacon, French toast, and tea. Ginny and Harry had left while Ron and I were talking, I assume. So it was just Ron and I. Perfect.

I put his food on a tray and carried it to the room. He was clearly just getting out of the shower. He had on a pair of plaid burgundy boxers and was using his towel to dry his face and hair. I straightened the bed and pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows. I took off my robe and tossed it next to my slippers on the floor in front of my side of the bed. I hadn't been wearing anything warm and snug under my robe- just regular red pajama pants and a black t-shirt with white stripes. Goosebumps formed on my bare arms and I couldn't determine whether it was because I was cold or nervous to be next to Ron for the first time in six months.

I fumbled with my fingers as I waited for him to get into the bed so that I could hand him the tray. I watched him put on his teal t-shirt and grey sweatpants. They looked a bit loose on him, he must've lost weight during the final task.

He finally got into bed and I picked up the tray and put it in his lap.

Awkward silence.

I got in with him and waited for him to start talking. I bit my lip.

_Say something! _I thought to myself.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?", I asked him.

"Because Harry and I wanted it to be a surprise", he replied with forkfuls of French toast in his mouth.

"What was training like?"

"A living hell. They really don't take it easy on you. Ever. The broom lessons were brutal, I don't want to see another broom for the next two months. And the there were those bloody battles with those stupid boggarts. It wasn't like the boggarts at Hogwarts, it was far worse than that. They'd send multiple amounts of them. Seven, ten, twenty all at one time. And then the tests. The tests were the worst part of the entire Training. Someone got a finger blasted off."

"Well you did it. And now you're officially an Auror. Besides you've been through worse with the war and all. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't be able to do it."

"And speaking of the war, the whole staff kept praising Harry. He barely lifted a finger throughout the whole Training. And they kept comparing me to him. '_Run Weasley! Run! Is that what you call running? Your pal Potter over here is already finished with his laps, and you can't even get through one!' _I suppose they forgot that they were making me do fifth teen and made Harry do five. And when Harry and I confronted them they said that it was punishment for me not keeping the cabin clean. Bloody prats. I swear, at one point I considered quitting. It felt like Hogwarts all over again, except a billion times worse."

I pictured Run running through a snowy forest while Harry looked helplessly beside the staff. Just thinking of it made me angry. I mean Ron did have to be compared to Harry for a majority of his life. At home, at school, and now at work.

"That's horrible. I'm surprised you held out for so long."

"The only thing keeping me going was you. You're the only person who has never compared me to Harry. Or made me feel like Harry and I were in some kind of competition."

"That's not true, your parents and Ginny don't compare you to him."

"Mum's always comparing me to Harry. And Dad basically forgets that I'm his son when Harry's around. And Ginny, well she couldn't have made it clearer that she doesn't need me if Harry's there. After all he's the bloody Boy who Lived, and the Chosen One. Sometimes I wish w hadn't even became friends."

"Well it's not like it's his fault. Besides, let everyone compare you to him. Because the last time I checked, without you, Harry and I wouldn't be here. And Merlin knows you could devour him at chess with a blindfold on and one hand behind your back. Harry is Harry and you are you. And if no one can accept that you aren't Harry, so be it. Because there's so much more to you than just being Harry Potter's best friend."

"Like what", he asked. Hearing the vulnerability behind his words was painful. How could he not see it?

"Are you kidding? You're smart, funny, clever, loyal, brave, romantic, you're- you're brilliant! You're a great friend, a great son, a great brother, and a fantastic fiancé. And Harry's all those things too, well I wouldn't know about romantic, but you have your own uniqueness about it. It's what makes you Ron and what makes you not Harry."

"I wish everyone else could see that way", Ron muttered, chewing the last piece of bacon on his plate. He put the tray on his nightstand and lied down on his back with both hands behind his head.

I snuggled up next to him and he held me. Just like I wanted him to. My leg draped over his right leg and my arm was on his chest. Perfect. I was finally content. But this Harry vs. Ron thing was obviously still bothering him.

"You don't have to live up to other people's standards. Live up to your own. What other people think doesn't matter", I said to him, "And one day you will realize that there's only one red headed, blue eyed, number one Chudley Cannon fan, named Ronald Bilius Weasley whose fiancée is crazy about him. And being compared to Harry won't matter to you."

There was a long silence. It wasn't awkward like before, it was more of a calm quiet. Like a hot cup of coffee beginning to cool down.

"I really missed you Hermione", he finally said.

"I missed you too", I replied. He stroked my wild curly hair and kissed me on my forehead.

His lips. I missed them so much. And it was just now occurring to me that this was the first time he'd kissed me in six months. I sat up and held his face and placed my lips on his. He tasted like Cool mint toothpaste and bacon. I could feel stubble along his face. A beard in the process of growing. He must've forgotten to shave. But it was okay with me. Just finally getting to feel him was enough to make me happy.

We broke away at he same time and smiled.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Ron", I replied.

We went back to our original snuggly, cuddly position. I kept lightly inhaling his scent and reveling in the feel of his warm body beneath/ beside mine as his fingers lightly ran through my hair.

We both drifted off into a deep sleep. And I dreamed of our wedding. The atmosphere of the dream was very. . . .infinite. Just like us.

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><p>Do you guys have friends or family in the military? (Review and Favorite if you do J)<p>

Well than hopefully you can understand this chapter. And this Harry vs. Ron stuff may seem like an irrelevant, unnecessary part of the story, but trust me I know what I'm doing. Anyway, I hate to be that author that goes out of her way to make this a priority for her readers but Read and Review please! I neeeeed your feedback to tell whether or not this is a no-go or a. . . .yes-go? OH! And I almost forgot, for those of you who'd been reading Like You Mean t, I deleted that thing, because of this story. So for those of you who've read that you might have a clue on where this plot is heading, and I emphasize on the MIGHT part.

Sincerely,

Jay


	2. Chapter 2: Who's At the Door?

Hope you enjoy! And ignore the bottom of this story where I comment and stuff, it's childish and inappropiate. Seriously, I'll lose a lot of readers if I do.

Chapter 2: Who's At the Door?

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><p>I awoke to thick drops of rain beating against the window and a loud <em>meow! <em>I propped my head up and looked around for Ron to make sure it all wasn't a dream. I saw him snoring under me and I sighed a breath of relief. I sat up and forced myself out of bed. I got up and went to the front door where I kept hearing the _meows_. Tiny taps kept beating against the door. I opened the door to see what was wrong with this cat. Sitting on my doorstep was a cute, but dirty, bengal cat. And under where she was standing was a tiny puddle of thick blood underneath her. It didn't take me long to register that this cat was going into labor.

I lifted her up a bit and placed her on the inside of my house. My mind was racing a bit. I tried to remember all the books I'd read on cats and what to do if they were having kittens. When I'd seen my Grandmother help her cat Martha give birth the first thing she'd gotten was a bucket and placed her in so that there wouldn't be kittens all over the place.

I raced to the kitchen and delved through all the cabinets until I finally spotted a bucket. Though it wasn't big enough to hold a cat and her litter.

I pointed my wand at the bucket and muttered, "_Engorgio." _

The bucket doubled in sized. I raced back to the entryway and- _thump! _I'd bumped right into a barely conscience Ron.

"Wha's going on", he asked sleepily.

"She's going into labor", I replied frantically.

"Ginny?", his eyes widened.

"No, the cat", I replied.

"What? When did you get another cat", he asked.

"I didn't get another cat, but there's one in the foyer who's about to give birth, now could you _please _move!", I yelled. He stepped aside, still looking confused. I ran over to the cat. She's already had one kitten. It was tiny and grey and quiet as a mouse, no pun intended. I reach over to lift her into the bucket, but she thinks I'm reaching for her kitten and hisses at me.

"_Shh! _It's okay", I whisper to her as I pet her fur as gently as possible. She seems to calm down a little bit and isn't as aggressive when I pick her up carefully and put her in the blue bucket and put her first kitten in there with her. I kept petting her and encouraging and comforting her, all the while Ron is looking at the three of us as if we've all lost it.

"Where did the cat come from", Ron asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen her before. I mean I knew there were strays around here but. . . .What should we name her? I mean I feel kind of bad referring to her as ' the cat'."

"Oh, no. No, Hermione. We can't. We can't and we won't. We aren't taking in some cat and her kittens. I mean look at her, she looks like she's got something", he whined.

He was right. The top half of her left ear looked like it'd been chewed and the remains looked like it'd been crumpled, and her left leg was clearly broken, and her nails were far past overgrown. Her fur was sticking up and damp from the rain and she looked exhausted. It was clear that she was knocking on death's door.

"Well she is sick. Dying in fact. But maybe we can help her. And her kittens are going to need a home. We can't just leave her to die on the streets, and we certainly aren't going to leave defenseless little kittens out there to die."

Ron stayed quiet for a moment. He looked from the grey kitten to the bengal to me. After a while he even began to look a bit sympathetic.

"Fine. We'll keep them until we're sure all of them are okay. But the minute we're positive that they're healthy we have to give them away." I wanted to run up to him and hug him and jump up and down in excitement girlishly, but one that would go against everything I stand for and two the cat had given birth to her next kitten. This kittens fur was exactly like his/her moms.

"Can you go to the pet store and pick up some kitten milk, cat food, kitten bottles, and. . .Oh! A bed for them to sleep in", I asked him.

"What? It's bloody three o'clock in the morning! What pet store is opened at this time of night? Besides why can't you go and get it?"

"Well than go to the 24-Hour corner store and pick up some goat's milk, cat food, and they should have a bed too. And you might want to pick up a litter box", I replied, "Besides she's already put a little of her trust in me, I can't leave her now. And even if I did you and I both know you can't help a cat give birth to her kittens."

"Fine", he groaned grumpily.

Four hours later, Lilith (I'd named the new mother Lilith after Harry's mom because she'd made sure she'd brought her kids to safety before she died, but I added the -ith because it seemed a little insensitive to Harry to name his mother after a dying cat) had five kittens. I'd called a 24-hour vetenary hot line and my parents for information about the cats. The vet informed me that Lilith had given birth to two boys and three girls, that it was common for cats to remain quiet, and to keep an eye on them for as long as possible. After Lilith had given birth to her litter and licked them clean, then she just hid under the bathroom sink. We haven't heard from her since.

After I'd fed the kittens a little (the vet told me not to feed them a lot since they're underweight) I'd placed them in front of the couch where Ron and I were now sitting. Tired and amused by how the kittens would nudge each other on accident.

"You know one of these days I'm going to get a dog or something. Cats are so. . . .serious", Ron said. I scoffed.

"What are you talking about? They're playful, adorable, and kind. Not to say that dogs aren't, it's just less work with a cat. You don't have to walk cats and cats have a litter box. Much easier", I muttered.

"Yeah but dogs. . . dogs are great. Friendly but protective when they have to be. Now when have you heard of a cat being protective? And even if you had, whose actually going to be threatened by a cat?", Ron asked.

"You know what, both cats and dogs have good and bad qualities. And we'll just leave it at that", I said, way too exhausted to debate.

We both sat there quietly watching the kittens. The fire place was lit, giving the room a cozy feel to it. One of Ron's arms was propping his head up to watch the kittens with me, the other was holding me comfortably as we watched the kittens. We had a thick wool blanket draped over us, but that and the fire from the fireplace was nothing compared to the cozy warmth of Ron's body.

Ugh! When'd I become so girlish? Although I do have the right to be girlish so that I can make up the six months I had to go without him.

You'd understand if you were in my position. You know that rich feeling you get when you're drinking deluxe hot chocolate with fluffy marshmallows and whip cream on top, and how it slides down your throat? Now imagine doing that on a cold, rainy day as you watch the clouds, and the fire in your fireplace is flickering flames, and you have a good old-fashioned home-made smore on an elegantly decorated dish. That's how I feel right now. Like I'm lying next to that. A living, breathing, human example of what comfort truly means.

"I can't understand why that kitten keeps yawing, I mean clearly it's asleep so it should be getting it's rest. I reckon something's wrong with it. Look how tiny it is."

"Ron their all tiny, which one are you talking about?", I asked.

"The smallest one. With the fur like it's mom. The one who keeps yawning", Ron said. He pointed to the one who was lying on the end of the bed looking kind of isolated, which almost seemed impossible considering the bed wasn't very big but then again the kittens are extremely small. But the one Ron was talking about was a lot smaller than the rest. And it did in fact keep yawning although it's eyes were shut. It almost looked like one of those little teddy bears' you see men give to their girlfriends and wives.

"I dunno. It shouldn't be sleepy", I replied.

"The grey one looks like a Theodore, don't you think", Ron asked. At first I was a little puzzled, there were two grey one's but I already knew he was talking about the oldest of Lilith's litter.

"Yeah, he kind of does. He looks very distinguished for a newborn kitten. Very smart and dignified", I said amused.

"And the one beside it kind of looks like a Rueben", Ron said. I fought the urge to laugh and I can't tell you whether or not I wanted to laugh because he thought the kitten beside Theodore was a boy even though it was a girl (which seems childish) or the fact he was really getting into caring for and naming these kittens. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"That's a girl", I replied.

"Well what's the girl version of Rueben? Rueben-a? Ruebenetta?", Ron asked. This time I couldn't hold back a laugh.

"No, it'd be Ruby or Rubia or something along those lines", I replied.

"Oh. Well then she'll be Ruby", Ron said.

"I thought you were dead-set on not keeping them", I said in an accusatory tone.

"We aren't going to keep them. But we've got to call them something, they aren't animals", Ron replied a little annoyed. I smiled, waiting for him to actually think about what he just said. "Oh, shut-up you know what I mean."

I laughed. I can't decide what's cuter him or the kittens.

"Well let me name one. We should name the one on top of Theo, short for Theodore, Minnie", I said.

"Why?"

"Because Minnie rhymes with Ginny and Minnie's as feisty and tough as Ginny. When I was taking her brothers and her out of the bucket, away from her mom, she kept trying to meow at me and I had a hard time trying to take her out of the bucket with Lily."

"What about the last girl?", Ron asked.

"Hmm, I dunno. She looks almost exactly like Theo. Maybe she should be. . . I don't know Cleo? Short for Cleodore", I suggested.

"Cleodora. Perfect", Ron replied, "So what about the last one? Now I'm thinking Yawny, because that's all he seems to know how to do."

"I think we should name him Tiglet. You know, because he looks like a mini tiger", I said.

"Yeah, he kind of does", Ron replied after a long pause.

I stared at Tiglet. He'd finally stopped yawning and was beginning to squirm a little on his bed. He looked so innocent and fragile. He _was_ innocent and fragile. Secretly I tried to be impartial towards all of the kittens, but my favorite one is Tiglet. I don't know if it's because he's just so adorable and tiny but I just instantly fell in love with him. And I know, deep down, that I'm not giving Tiglet away. Not to be disrespectful towards Ron but I just can't let him go. Even though I've only been with him for less than six hours, I felt like I've had him for a really long time.

"We're really good at naming things", Ron said quietly, breaking my train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, yes I suppose", I replied.

"When we. . . . . .have our own little 'kittens', what would you want", Ron asked.

"What do you mean", I asked him.

"As in what would you name them? What would you want them to be like? You know, do you want a girl. . . a boy", Ron muttered. It was clear that he was a little nervous about asking me this. Every since I had the pregnancy scare, me getting pregnant seemed to frighten him and excite him at the same time.

"Well I'd really like to have a girl and a boy. And I'd want them to have your eyes. And your braveness. And I certainly hope they get the texture of your hair, and I think it would be cute to have a little redhead bookworm. And maybe even your stubbornness, I'd get a kick out of that. Regardless I'd love them", I replied. He stayed quiet for a long time. But I could tell he was grinning, and so was I. I could just imagine it, little smart gingers running around the house and Tiglet minding his own business walking around the house.

"Well I'd love to have a daughter with your eyes, your nose, your mouth. . . your face. Because it's so beautiful. And I'd love for my kids to have your curly hair. And I'd get a kick out of my daughter reading a book every time you see her. But whatever they do, they'd better get into Gryffindor", Ron said seriously. I laughed and found his hand and held it.

"I love you so much, Ron", I told him.

"I love you too", he replied.

"You know Ron, you've been so sweet. I woke you up and made you leave and come back to help me help a dying cat give labor. So I think now's the perfect time that we kiss, not to be blunt. The only problem is the position we're in right now. Not to mention we're in a room full of innocent kittens. We might want to go to the bedroom. I'm sure they'll be fine."

He tossed back the blanket and we got off the couch and went into our bedroom.

He sat on the end of the bed and sat beside him. We looked down at the floor and then at each other and grinned like maniacs. This is the first time in six weeks that we've actually been seriously intimate. All of a sudden we're both nervous. Who makes the first move? Should we go all the way right now?

I don't know why but my gut told me to make the first move and figure things out as we go. And apparently his 'gut' did too because we both pressed our lips on each others at the same time. Our noses and foreheads collided. We moved back and held our foreheads and hissed. Then we looked at each other again and laughed.

"Retry?", I suggested.

"Of course", he replied. I relaxed my shoulders and cleared my head.

I'd held my hands together and placed them between my knees and did a mini-stretch. He turned around and placed his hands on both sides of the bed where I was sitting and pressed his lips to mine. I unclasped my hands and placed it against the side of his face. His mouth was as warm as the feel of his body on mine when we were in the living room. His tongue lightly glided across my bottom row of teeth and mines were on his top row, slowly and lightly touching the root of the inside of his mouth. He moaned into my mouth, sending shivers down my spine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lied down on the bed and pulled him with me, making sure to not break the kiss. His hands were running through my hair, he was sucking on my tongue and his knee was between my thighs. I moaned into his mouth this time and he'd held my hand and broke the kiss and trailed them down my jaw and up my cheek and on my temple. I had no idea that was a sensitive spot for me so that plus the fact it was Ron that had done it intensified the heat between my legs. I held his face and kissed him again. This time I broke it. We looked at each other and smiled. I pushed his chest away from mine, gesturing for him to sit up. And he sat up and I sat up too. I kissed him again and trailed more along his jaw until I'd finally reached his neck. I kissed his neck and let it linger for a moment. Then I backed away and pulled his shirt up and he helped me take it off of him. My lips moved back to their original spot on his neck and then I trailed more until I'd reached his left shoulder blade and left a mark. His hands had found their way to the small of my back.

He moved his hands up my shirt and up to my bra strap. I let him unhook it and then backed away. I got up off the bed and took off my pajamas and slid the bra off completely.

"I'm going to need you to lie down", I demanded him calmly. He lied down as I'd told him to.

I crawled back onto the bed and got on top of him. I pressed my lips against his again and rubbed my hands up against his smooth chest. I liked that he didn't grow hair on his chest. I read somewhere that women liked it when men had hairy chests'. And maybe it's because I'm weird but I've never found it appealing. I tilted my head and deepened the kiss just before breaking it for air.

It was time for us to stop, unfortunately. No matter how bad he wanted it, and Merlin knows I was desperate for it, we were both far too tired for all that work. Besides the sound of a kitten meowing had broken our trance. I got up and put my bra and pajama top back on, not really caring about the pants (Ron and the sheets was enough to keep me warm). Ron had went into the living room to go and care for the kitten, surprisingly. By the time he'd come back I was already in bed. He got in with me, not bothering to put his shirt back on (lucky for me).

"Tiglet fell off the bed", Ron said.

"Ron? I know you said we've got to give them all away, but- can I just. . .", I couldn't finish. If he said no I know I'd get a little upset with him and fall asleep angry. And I didn't want to argue right now.

"Let me guess, you want to keep one of them", Ron asked sarcastically. I bit my bottom lip and nodded.

He was quiet for a really long time so it surprised me when he said, "Yeah, fine. Which one, because you already know we can't keep up with all five kittens."

"Tiglet", I said immediately. He acted surprised and gasped.

"_Surprise, surprise_."

I smiled at him and kissed him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too", he replied and kissed me on my temple, which I'm sure is because he knew it was my newfound weakness and was just teasing me.

* * *

><p>I have worked my absolute hardest to make this chapter as flawless as possible so I'd really appreciate it if you'd <em>show <em>me you appreciate it through favoriting, reviewing, and all that good stuff. Hope you enjoyed it and I'm hoping to update a little more frequently.

And just so you know, I've been working on this since 12: 21 P.M to now (1:25 A.M). I've had to re-type this story four times, I've been editing, and doing research on cats and kittens because I honestly have had no cats ever in my life nor have I ever been affiliated with one (and I damn sure haven't assisted one in while she went into labor) so I won't be surprised if one of you point out that something doesn't make any sense. So I mean this with all my heart and soul: writing this chapter has beat the crap out of me. Because my computers a bitch. So also mean this with all my heart and soul and everything that makes me, me: Review, Favorite, and Story Alert Your Ass Off because I've worked too damn hard to not get anything. And don't take this offensively. Take this to your soul. Seriously. Think to yourself, now this writer could've been watching Red Tails or the Devil Inside, going ice skating, going to fudging Red Lobster, and getting drunk and end up crying in a fetal position at a daycare like this writer usually does (not that I actually do that. . .nor did you need to know if I ever have or ever will). But no! This writer worked all fucking day just to give you a story because she loves R/Hr just as much as you do. So go on, review and favorite your little hearts out. Please.

Sincerely,

Jay

P.S: Thanks for at least taking your time to read this because you also could've gone to the movies, or ice skating, or crying in a fetal position at a daycare, but instead you read my story. Thanks person!

P.S Love you guys!


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